Grand Rounds XIX

Mon, 2005-06-13 11:40

Glad to see so many could make it to this week' s Grand Rounds! Since we couldn't get Richard Simmons to come in and do a quick exercise break, we' ll be following Dr. Emer's Fidget Your Way to Better Health program to keep us slim, trim, and hopefully awake. So jiggle your feet, twiddle your thumbs, and enjoy the best of the medical blogosphere.

Note: Unlike regular meetings, no PowerPoints were abused in the making of these presentations.

KeynoteOnly The Cheerful Oncologist could use the existentialism of Sartre to explore the difficult balance sought by those who work with the seriously ill and dying: "How does one, after exchanging job descriptions at a cocktail party or in the bleachers, reply to this follow-up question: How do you do it? "

Hot TopicsAre you fidgeting yet? If not, check out the Hospice Blog, which advocates that, when dealing with terminal patients, "more doctors [should] realize that there is a time when they should shut up and listen."

A most effective way to reduce wait times: Make docs do more for less. Or that's the plan in Ontario, according to Interested Participant. The result? "On February 11, the operating rooms in about two dozen hospitals throughout Ontario will shut down due to a strike by angry anesthesiologists."

A Plethora of Pill PostsPrescribing& How much is too much when it comes to depending on drugs to solve medical and psychiatric issues? Maria at intueri has some answers plus some notes about comfort food like shi fan, also known as "congee" or "jook" (what ever happened to tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches?).

Perplexing publications& While Different River feels the British Medical Journal should have been more proactive about apologizing for its publication of an article saying Eli Lilly withheld documents about Prozac from a court trial (which it didn't), Mental Notes thinks the retraction of the article was "Dan Ratheresque." He says, "after years and years of tolerance of an increasingly cozy relationship between a great profession and the forces of capitalism, the efforts at distancing coming this late in the game seem reactive. My worry is that the public recognizes this, that it actually exacerbates a crisis of confidence among those we serve, and thus threatens the trust that physicians have worked so hard to earn over the past century."

Those annoying pop-ups& Kevin, MD , warns us to hold our snickers at the warning in the ads for Levitra; you know, the one that says: "In the rare case an erection lasts for more than four hours, seek immediate medical attention." Dr. Kevin says, "I've seen some articles refer to this as the warning that's actually a selling point. " But priapism is no laughing matter.

Back to the FutureMedPundit s Senator Tomorrow is an interesting look at what one senator thinks healthcare could look like by 2015 and why Sydney thinks it ll happen when pigs can fly. And she may well be right. Remember body scanning, which was supposed to be the next revolution in healthcare (or at least the next big profit center)? Orac does, and he does a neat little dissection of its demise.

Strange But TruePoor tennis star Serena Williams, who won the Australian Open despite a "dislocated rib" (not possible) or some other "rib dysfunction." CodeBlueBlog calls her on it and wonders if athletes use medical time-outs to change the momentum of the match. "It is really remarkable how frequently these top superstar athletes are injured during important matches. Of course, the injuries almost always come at a time when the injured player is losing& "

Bonus RoundDr. Charles provides a beautiful reminder of what it feels like to have a patient call you "my doctor."

Thanks for stopping by! And look for next week's Grand Rounds at Enoch Choi's MedMusings. Enoch asks that you send submissions to him at enochchoimd-thoughts AT yahoo.com--he'll be en route to Singapore, so next week's Grand Rounds may be a little late.

Glad to see so many could make it to this week s Grand Rounds! Since we couldn t get Richard Simmons to come in and do a quick exercise break, we ll be following Dr. Emer s Fidget Your Way to Better Health program to keep us slim, trim, and hopefully awake. So jiggle your feet, twiddle your thumbs, and enjoy the best of the medical blogosphere.

Note: Unlike regular meetings, no PowerPoints were abused in the making of these presentations.

KeynoteOnly The Cheerful Oncologist could use the existentialism of Sartre to explore the difficult balance sought by those who work with the seriously ill and dying: "How does one, after exchanging job descriptions at a cocktail party or in the bleachers, reply to this follow-up question: How do you do it? "

Hot TopicsAre you fidgeting yet? If not, check out the Hospice Blog, which advocates that, when dealing with terminal patients, "more doctors [should] realize that there is a time when they should shut up and listen."

A most effective way to reduce wait times: Make docs do more for less. Or that's the plan in Ontario, according to Interested Participant. The result? "On February 11, the operating rooms in about two dozen hospitals throughout Ontario will shut down due to a strike by angry anesthesiologists."

A Plethora of Pill PostsPrescribing& How much is too much when it comes to depending on drugs to solve medical and psychiatric issues? Maria at intueri has some answers plus some notes about comfort food like shi fan, also known as "congee" or "jook" (what ever happened to tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches?).

Perplexing publications& While Different River feels the British Medical Journal should have been more proactive about apologizing for its publication of an article saying Eli Lilly withheld documents about Prozac from a court trial (which it didn't), Mental Notes thinks the retraction of the article was "Dan Ratheresque." He says, "after years and years of tolerance of an increasingly cozy relationship between a great profession and the forces of capitalism, the efforts at distancing coming this late in the game seem reactive. My worry is that the public recognizes this, that it actually exacerbates a crisis of confidence among those we serve, and thus threatens the trust that physicians have worked so hard to earn over the past century."

Those annoying pop-ups& Kevin, MD , warns us to hold our snickers at the warning in the ads for Levitra; you know, the one that says: "In the rare case an erection lasts for more than four hours, seek immediate medical attention." Dr. Kevin says, "I've seen some articles refer to this as the warning that's actually a selling point. " But priapism is no laughing matter.

Back to the FutureMedPundit s Senator Tomorrow is an interesting look at what one senator thinks healthcare could look like by 2015 and why Sydney thinks it ll happen when pigs can fly. And she may well be right. Remember body scanning, which was supposed to be the next revolution in healthcare (or at least the next big profit center)? Orac does, and he does a neat little dissection of its demise.

Strange But TruePoor tennis star Serena Williams, who won the Australian Open despite a "dislocated rib" (not possible) or some other "rib dysfunction." CodeBlueBlog calls her on it and wonders if athletes use medical time-outs to change the momentum of the match. "It is really remarkable how frequently these top superstar athletes are injured during important matches. Of course, the injuries almost always come at a time when the injured player is losing& "

Bonus RoundDr. Charles provides a beautiful reminder of what it feels like to have a patient call you "my doctor."

Thanks for stopping by! And look for next week's Grand Rounds at Enoch Choi's MedMusings. Enoch asks that you send submissions to him at enochchoimd-thoughts AT yahoo.com--he'll be en route to Singapore, so next week's Grand Rounds may be a little late.